Does tennis need more Roger” federer> or Nick Kyrgios, which are two very different characters? The former world No. 1 Jim Courier answered this question in an interview to Tennis On Demand. “We need both. There was true animosity between the players, it created genuine excitement for the sport.

I like the sportsmanship and the kind of tennis they bring. The public marketplace is more interested if there is a little spice to a match”, said Courier. “Today’s tennis is very exciting, we have an amazing group of champions that are still changing the face of record books, the sport is very healthy at the top level, the Grand Slams, the big events, it’s magnificent the level of tennis by those players and their sportsmanship is pretty amazing to witness”, continued Courier, who regularly attends Grand Slam events working as a commentator or analyst.

“Since I have stopped playing in 2000 at the ATP level, I watched it very closely and I am just excited and proud of where the sport has come. Tennis is so big internationally right now, we have never had bigger views or bigger crowds at big events like Wimbledon, Indian Wells and Miami, we are seeing records set in these combined events.”

On his role as an interviewer in the Australian Open, he concluded: “You interview people who have won on Centre Court and they are in a good mood, so that helps, and I think also the trust that the players would have and someone like me who has been in their shoes before, enables them to be comfortable. I am not gonna ask them a question that makes them embarrassed or in a too tough of a spot.”